


Social Superheros

by translester



Series: Unexpectations [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, Punk Phil, not just tattoos and piercings but like the social justice aspect as well, so that's good :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 10:42:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4743320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/translester/pseuds/translester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil is a social justice punk who goes out at two in the morning. Dan follows him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Social Superheros

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like a lot of phan fics ignore the social justice aspect of being a punk. Then again, that part of punk culture has essentially dissolved in the mainstream punk scene, but I think it’s still important. So Phil is a social justice punk. Thank you to my betas Matilda and Alina and the Phan Trash Network!

Phil didn’t talk to people. If someone looked his way, he’d glare until they backed off. Wannabes tried to accompany him, ask where he got his piercings and tattoos, how he dyed his hair, but he just brushed them off. It wasn’t that he was “too cool” or anything. He just didn’t give a shit. He’d never found anyone worth knowing. No one cared about the right things. They didn’t care about racism or transphobia. They cared about themselves.

 _Who’s interesting enough in this school, anyway?_ Phil wondered as he looked around the classroom. His eyes settled on the back of an unfamiliar head. A new boy in class. He seemed to be looking off at nothing, grabbing idly with one hand at his rather long brown hair. Phil wished he was intrigued. Maybe the boy was cute. But Phil had given up on people a long while ago, so it didn’t really matter whether he was or not.

At the end of class, Phil didn’t rush to get to his next block, as per usual. He casually scanned the room, his gaze lingering on the new kid, vaguely curious as to what his face looked like. The brunet threw a glance over his shoulder, his eyes locking with Phil’s. Phil noticed the boy suck in a breath, and he could relate. Despite Phil’s disinterest in other people, something about this kid seemed different. Phil didn’t want to dwell on this (nobody was different), so he hardened his gaze until the other boy turned away. Phil left the classroom without looking back.

Later that day, once the sun had set and the city went to sleep, Phil slipped outside of his apartment and into the crisp autumn air. He walked for about half an hour, leaves crunching underfoot, searching for the perfect spot. He found an abandoned shed, pulled out his spray paint, and began working.

~

Over the next couple months, Phil learned that the brunet’s name was Dan and he noticed Dan glancing back at him quite often. He doesn’t mind, really, but it’s distracting Phil from his “ignore everyone” agenda. So he acted like he minded. He held a glare throughout the period, intending to put Dan off of looking at him. It worked for a few days. Then Dan began looking at Phil more than before, curiosity gracing his features. Phil didn’t know how to react to someone who he couldn’t shake off. He began going out every night.

One night, Phil was painting the side of a brick wall when he heard something moving near him. He stopped, hoping it was just an animal. He may have been a punk who spray painted social justice slogans all over, but he wasn’t ready to get thrown in jail for it. He snuck behind the wall and waited for a few moments. He didn’t hear anything else, so, assuming the coast was clear, he walked back in front of the wall while pulling out a canister, ready to continue painting.

Someone was there, though. Phil’s usual cool composure he kept around other people broke and he nearly tripped over nothing as he was startled.

 _“Howell?”_ Phil said, disbelieving.

“Lester,” Dan replied, a small smile pulling at his lips.

“Why are you- did you follow me?” Phil was in utter confusion. Why was Dan Howell standing in front of Phil’s street art, looking at it admiringly?

“I did, in fact. Have done for some weeks now. You don’t really pay attention,” Dan said casually.

Phil collected himself somewhat. “That’s really fucking creepy. What are you even doing here.” It was a question, but it didn’t come out as one.

Dan finally looked at Phil, replying, “I live near you and was up late one night. I saw you walking and it was, like, two am, so I was curious.”

“So you followed me,” Phil replied flatly, maintaining eye contact with Dan. “How did you even know it was me?”

“Didn’t. But then I realized it was. That made it even better.” Dan looked back at the wall.

“Oh, really?” Phil asked skeptically. He was surprised that he and Dan weren’t having an extremely superficial conversation. All other ones he’d been in seemed to be that way.

“Yeah. You make some great art. Police don’t know whether to praise you or hunt you down. Heard my dad talking about it.”

Phil blanched. “Dude, you’re dad’s a cop?”

Dan glanced at Phil. “Yeah, but chill. I’ve been watching you do this for weeks, I’m basically an accomplice. I’m not turning you in.”

“Why have you followed me every night?”

“I like what you paint.”

“So you agree with what I’m saying?” Phil asked, unimpressed. No one around here gave a shit about actual issues.

“Definitely.”

Phil took a few moments to consider Dan. Then, Phil found himself asking Dan about his views on everything from homophobia to apartheid. They held the conversation for hours, until they were both sat on the ground, leaning against the wall and each other, discussing the fact that animals such as cats had no sense of gender identity, therefore there was no fear of misgendering them.

“I had no idea you were a punk, Howell,” Phil said as Dan yawned. It was nearing six in the morning and neither of them had slept.

“’M not, I don’t have any of the punk looks,” Dan mumbled.

“That doesn’t matter. I think the most important part of being punk is being socially aware. You have to fight what’s wrong. Punks are just social superheros.”

“Social superheros,” Dan repeated.

Phil and Dan began painting together every night.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr lestres or twitter @howlles


End file.
